Recipe: Fried Spring Rolls

On weekends when I have all the sweet time in the world, I like puttering around the kitchen--flipping through my cookbooks, digging out ingredients--you know productive activities. Never mind the plants need pruning, the house needs cleaning. Then I'll finally get around to cooking up something pleasant and satisfying--such as these beautiful and scrumptious Fried Spring Rolls. Much like Satay and Otak-otak, every country in Southeast Asia has its own interpretation of this ever-popular side dish. In Malaysia alone, there are no less than three variations of Spring Rolls or Popiah. The Straits Chinese like their Popiah wet with savory fillings of julienned jicama, diced bean curds, shrimp, and crab meat wrapped in fresh Popiah skin coated with sweet sauce (tee cheow) and chili paste. The Mamak (Indian-Muslim) prefer sweet date sauce and less ingredients are used. They also like their Popiah deep fried to perfection and served with spicy hot sauce. In the Philippines, Spring Rolls are called Lumpia and come in smaller packages; while in Vietnam, Cha Gio (Vietnamese Spring Rolls) are filled with ground pork and cellophane noodles instead of vegetables. And then there is the popular Egg Roll--a common appetizer in American Chinese restaurants--made with a thick wrapper and packed with shredded cabbages and served with sweet and sour sauce. Regardless of its size, recipe, and method of preparation, Spring Rolls are tremendously popular. Try making them on one of your weekends or whenever you want to indulge in the joy of cooking. Suffice it to say, the end result is absolutely worth devouring. And let your maid or significant other handle the unpleasant chores. Ingredients: Filling 6 shrimps (shelled, deveined, and chopped into small pieces) 1 piece bean curd (diced into small pieces) 2 cloves garlic (chopped) 2 shallots (chopped) 1 jicama, shredded 1 carrot, shredded 6 long beans (chopped) Salt to taste Sugar to taste White pepper powder to taste 1 pack of frozen Popiah wrappers / 25-30 fresh Popiah skin Oil for deep frying Sealing Paste 2 tablespoon corn starch 5 tablespoon of water Pan-fry the diced bean curd with a little oil until they turn light brown. Set aside. Heat oil in a wok and fry the garlic and shallots until aromatic. Add shrimps, julienned jicama, shredded carrot and long beans. Season with salt, pepper, sugar and cook for 5 minutes. To assemble, lay a wrapper / Popiah skin on a clean cutting board. Put some filling in the middle and add some diced bean curd on top of the filling. Fold in the two sides and roll up the wrapper tightly. Seal with the paste and deep dry over medium heat until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve with chili sauce. For chili sauce, Rasa Malaysia recommends Maggie brand garlic chili sauce (if you are in Malaysia) or Sriracha hot chili sauce (if you are in the US). Enjoy! Related Post: Nyonya Kuih Pie Tee / Nyonya Top Hats Recipe